The Historical Mission of Pantenus in South India.
IntroductionThe origin of Christianity in Malankara is closely connected with the evangelization of India by St.Thomas. According to the Apostle Thomas landed on the Malabar Coast in A.D. 52, preached the Holy Gospel and he established Christian communities in India. Before the end of the second century, these Christians came into closer contacts with Alexandria1. The main after effects of this contact, the Alexandrian Church sent a missionary to India for Pastoral care and spiritual guidance. That missionary, Pantenus came to India and he gave the spiritual knowledge to the Malankara people. We have only a few historical documents to get information about the works of Pantenus.
1. Life historyPantenus was the master of a school in Alexandria. His parents belong to Sicily. He was born at Alexandria; in which he had his education, being seasoned in his younger years with all learned and philosophical studies; that being the place where there were all arts and sciences, and School of thoughts.
1.1.Head of Alexandrian SchoolHis philosophy was Stoicism and his literary interests were classical; considering the exegetical writings of his successors, this would account not only for their strong emphasis upon a divine literature, but also for their allegorical methodology in interpreting the same. He became head of the school in Alexandria around A.D.180.2 The foundation of the School of Alexandria is often traced back to St. Mark the Evangelist-though historical data is not about certification, but the school would become the first key development was in the time of Pantenus.
His learning and excellent manner of teaching raised the school’s reputation above all schools of the philosophers, whom he strove to win to Christianity.
1.2.He was a Bishop?
Pantenus was the head of Alexandrian School. Some scholars say that, he was an ordained person (Bishop).3 Most of the world church historians currently discussing this topic. The main possibility is, his successor, Clement was an ordained person in that time. When we consider this thing, we can say may be he was a bishop. What ever it may be, he must have been a magnetic personality and teacher, as testified by Clement of Alexandria, the student who succeeded him as head of the school.
3.Supplication of Malankara Christians to Alexandria
The Indian Church requested the Patriarchate of Alexandria in order to send a person, who is well-versed in church doctrines, for spiritual and pastoral guidance. That time St. Demetrius was the Patriarch of Alexandria.4 He was the 12th Patriarch of Alexandria. Most of the ancient historians opinion is Pantenus came to India for the request of Malankara Christians5.
It is a probable question: Why the Malankara Church approaches Alexandrian Patriarchate? There was a close relationship between India and Alexandria6. And these facilitate to approach the Indian Christians to the Alexandrian Patriarchate. It is believed that St.Thomas came from Alexandria to Malankara. There were many Indians at Alexandria in the first century A.D. Dion Chysostom writes (c.100 A.D.): “Ethiopians, Arabians, Bactrians, Sythians, Persians and Indians, were flocking to Alexandria7”.
All these things reflect the integral relationship between Alexandria and Malankara. We can understand clearly that it was at Patriarchate of the Alexandria where Malankara Church approached for at first time for its spiritual needs. It happened that some Indian ambassadors entreated Demetrius, then bishop of Alexandria, to send some worthy and excellent person along with them to preach the faith in India. 8
4. Arrival of Pantenus in Malankara.Pantenus’s journey to India must be reckoned as an established historical event.9 Being arrived in India, he set himself to plant the Christian faith in those parts, especially conversing with the native philosophers, whose principles and way of life seemed more immediately to dispose them for the entertainment of Christianity Eusebius writes: “About that time, Pantenus, a man highly distinguished for his learning, had charge of the school of the faithful in Alexandria. A school of sacred learning, which continues to our day, was established there in ancient times, and as we have been informed, was managed by men of great ability and zeal for divine things. Among these it is reported that Pantenus was at that time especially conspicuous, as he had been educated in the philosophical system of those called Stoics. They say that he displayed such zeal for the divine Word that he was appointed as a herald of the Gospel of Christ to the nations in the East, and was sent as far as India. For indeed there were still many evangelists of the Word who sought earnestly to use their inspired zeal, after the examples of the apostles, for the increase and building up of the Divine Word. Pantenus was one of these, and is said to have gone to India. It is reported that among persons there who knew of Christ, he found the Gospel according to Mathew, which had anticipated his own arrival.”10 It is true that the account of Pantenus going to India was a tradition. According to historians Pantenus visited in Malankara.
4.1.Contradictions about the arrival of Pantenus
Most of the historians agreed Pantenus visited Malabar in last of 2nd Century. But some historians opposed arrival of Pantenus in Malabar.11 There opinion is Pantenus visited not present India. See how E.M. Philip rejects the opinions: “In the first place, we have to see if the above description of the country and people visited by the Alexandrian missionary applies to Malabar. If it does, there is no room to doubt the Syrian tradition of the apostolic origin of the Malankara Church. Had Clement and Jerome failed to refer to the Brahmin population of the country, our learned critic would have carried Pantenus to Abyssinia or Arabia Felix, defining India in its widest sense. The narrative, as recorded by the famous writers of Alexandria, leaves no room to suspect the genuineness of Pantenus visit to India proper”. 12
Another historian A. Mingana,13also same opinion of Rae. He rejects the Indian mission of Pantenus. His opinion is Pantenus never visited India. See how Stuart rejects the opinion of Mingana. “Notwithstanding the deservedly high reputation of Dr. Mingana and his well known erudition, one ventures to differ from him in the conclusion to which he has come. The statement by Clement, derived presumably from Pantenus, that the Brahmins were those who obey the commandments of Buddha whom they honour as a god is quite conclusive. Where else than in India proper could a traveler from the West have got information that would cause him to join Brahmins and Buddhists together in this way?... At the date when Pantenus is said to have visited India. Brahmins and Sramans, as the Buddhist ascetics were called, were working together in closest harmony… The fact that Pantenus associates Brahmins with Buddhists so correctly describes the condition of things then existing that it stamps his account as that of an eye witness”. 14 It is clearly evident that the Alexandrian-Malankara relationship was very strong during second and third centuries.
Conclusion
Pantenus always retained the title of The Stoic Philosopher. He returned to Alexandria, went on with his office (The office of the Catechetical School of Alexandria) till his death, which happened in the year of A.D.211.15 His memory is preserved in the Roman calendar. Roman Catholic Church is classified by the number of saints, and the festival celebrates its July 7, and the Coptic Church June 22. Pantenus might be identified as the second missionary evangelist to India. The mission of Pantenus represents a part of Christian missionary history of Malankara. The very possibility that Pantenus once set foot on land in India is sufficient for grounding a later Jacobite identity in Malankara Church. The main advantage of his visit is, the improvement of Christian faith in Malankara as well as the Church of Malankara started a new ecclesiastical relationship with an ancient Apostolic See.
1. J.N. FARQUAHAR, “The Apostle Thomas in North India”, in J.Vellian, ed., The Apostle Thomas in India according to the Acts of Thomas ,Kottayam, 1972, p.13
2. OSBORN ERIC FRANCIS, Coptic Encyclopaedia, Vol.6, New York,1991. p.1881
3. JOSEPH THOMAS, Universal Pronouncing Dictionary of Biography and Mythology,London, 1901. p.664.
4. JOHN MANSON NEALE, A History of the Holy Eastern Church, Patriarchate of Alexandria, Vol.1. London, 1847. p.16; ABU SALIH THE ARMENIAN, The Churches and Monasteries of Egypt and Some Neighbouring Countries , 2001. New Jersey. p.84.
5. WILLAM CAVE D.D., Lives of the Most Eminent Fathers of the Church..,Oxford,London, 1840. p. 291
6. M.RAE, The Syrian Church in India, Edinburg-London,1892,56.
7. J.GWYNN. “Panaenus”, W. Smith and H. Wace, ed., Dictionary Christian Biography. Vol. IV, New York, 1974. p.181.
8. WILLAM CAVE D.D., p. 291.
9. H.HOSTEN, “ Bartholomeo and Pantenus”, Works of Hosten, complete collection in the Library of Vidyajyoti, Vol. 17, fol.206., Delhi.
10. EUSEBIUS, Historia Ecclesistica V,10, Patrologia Grecca XX, col. 453-456; The translation from the Nicean and Post- Nicean Fathers, Second Series, vol.1, 224-225.
11. MILNE RAE, The Syrian Church in India, London, 1892.
12. E.M. PHILIP, The Indian Church of St. Thomas, Cheeramchira, 2002. p.53.
13. A. MINGANA, Early Spread of Christianity in India, BJRL,10,1926. p.449
14. J. STUWART, Nestorian Missionary Enterprise, Story of a Church on Fire, Edinburg, 1928. p.106-107 ; T. JAMES KURIKILAMKATT JOSEPH, The Apostle Thomas at Taxila... Pontificia Università Greogoriana, Facoltà di Storia Ecclesiastica,Rome, 2002.
15.William Smith, The History of the live, Arts and Martyrdoms of those Blessed Christians, Manchester,1785.p.141
